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THE ACT: Cloud Nothings | Facebook | Twitter
SOUNDS LIKE:
PHOTOS:
VIDEO:
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: Gossling | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: [Excerpted from M. Sloves full-day review that you can read HERE.]
“[…] Gossling is a tall brunette Australian who starts off taking the helm behind a keyboard at the front of the stage. The first thing you notice when she opens her mouth is what a […] cool voice she has […] [W]hen she sings, gawddamn! The oddity and eeriness are what make it beautiful. A really delicate sound that transitions from ambient notes to …I don’t even know what. It’s weird. A little shocking even to look up and see that such a full and complex sound is coming from just her, the guitarist, and the drummer. So rich. I dig this girl. Whole lotta density for a 3 piece. At one point she ditched the keys for acoustic guitar. The guitar ended up being more of a woobie blanket. Couldn’t hear it at all but she looked rad holding it and her voice was still awesome. Sometimes we need a prop to give us purpose on stage, I get that […].”
PHOTOS:
VIDEO:
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: Beat Connection | Facebook | Twitter
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: [Excerpted from M. Sloves full-day review that you can read HERE.]
“[…] They had a Jamiroquai-esque sound but didn’t feel super-derivative. Melodic lyrics floated over a heavy drum beat. Good dance vibe for a crowd that was starting to hit critical mass for getting dancey. What can I reduce these guys to…Citizen Cope meets Tears for Fears…? The drums and keyboard resurrected memories of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” […] The lead singer was getting his sexy on and the ladies liked it. Actually, we all liked it. Dude looked like a Gap model but he could belt out some serious notes. Adam Levine would have turned his chair and had an immediate man-crush.”
PHOTOS:
VIDEO:
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: Level & Tyson | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: [Excerpted from M. Sloves full-day review that you can read HERE.]
“[…] This time there were a couple girls on stage, which was pretty rad. I’m always stoked to see some gender plurality in a band. A short-haired pixie on the bass and a tall lanky drink of water on rhythm guitar and keyboards. Really good energy. A fast driving beat anchored a quasi-grunge surf garage sound. The guy on lead guitar in his prison blues and beanie shared vocals with the girl on bass but her voice was a little mousy and was largely lost behind all the instruments. The guy sounded good (he might have been mic’d better) and was hitting some impressive falsetto notes […] I can’t deny that their set was a little sloppy but you found yourself rooting for them because even if you weren’t feeling it, you could tell that THEY were feeling it. They were obviously stoked to be on stage – any stage – and that’s how a band should bring it. Reckless abandon, no matter where they are. They even smiled a few times.
The set was dominated by an upbeat spacy twang that reflects the sort of trans-Atlantic surf guitar riffs that I’ve heard creep back into a lot of stuff I’m listening to. And I dig it […] Some of it was what the band self-glossed as “funky”. Not sure what their definition of funk is. I definitely was not feeling a lot of James Brown or Bootsy Collins in what were fairly aimless walls of noise and distortion […] Potential trumps refinement.”
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
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To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: The Mercy Beat | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: [Excerpted from M. Sloves full-day review that you can read HERE.]
“[…] Mercy Beats was already playing and the crowd was slowly starting to fill out a bit […] Dude on vocals was hitting a lot of clean high notes over a retro 80s pop rock / new wave kind of vibe. Pretty fun. Light. Very danceable […] and the lead guitarist was playing a double necked guitar. So that was happening. What was I feeling? Human League? A-ha? Duran Duran? Definitely A-ha. Dude’s voice was really up there and was channeling a “Take on Me” kind of vibe […] [T]hese guys had some swagger on the stage. Overall, the word that keeps leaping into my head is “fun”. They were good fun. Easy to imagine them turning on a shit ton of people dancing their collecting balls off […].”
PHOTOS: Spoke with the folks working the lights after The Mercy Beat finished their set to ask about whether “red” was going to be the lighting theme for the evening. Was informed that the band specifically asked for red lighting.
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: Fractures | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: [Excerpted from M. Sloves full-day review that you can read HERE.]
“[…] The singer managed to hold some notes in the upper register that were compelling and reinforced the emotional tone of the composition – a pensive, meditative, self-reflective vibe. […] The band is a group of pretty young looking dudes from Melbourne and they sound a helluva lot better than they look. When I talk about ‘looks’, I don’t mean their physical appearance. I’m talking more about their stage presence. They’re like high school AP music kids: super-preoccupied with hitting each note right, everyone staring at either their instruments, their fingers, or the floor. […] [T]hey really do start to draw you in as they layer slow building guitar riffs over a building keyboard over building drums until it’s a damn powerful wall of music filling the space inside that little church […].
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
THE ACT: MØ | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: I’d thought that I’d be over female fronted, beat-driven, electro pop, but wow … MØ was something else. Her live show was something fierce. She may have been criticized for her “off” performance with Iggy Azalea on Saturday Night Live, but I’ve witnessed MØ performing live, and she is a powerhouse performer. Stage diving, and stage walking, throughout her set, engaging the audience with her piercing eyes and impressing me with her unexpected stage presence and voice, I was blown away. I’m willing to make this prediction … she’ll be making the festival rounds next year, and she’ll be performing on the main stages. Guaranteed.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Bands We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
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THE ACT: De Lux | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: I don’t know how many times can I say it. I love this band. When I first saw them play opening for Omar Souleyman, I knew that I’d have to see them play again. Catching them at Culture Collide was my third time this year (the second time was at Echo Park Rising). I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If you’re a fan of the post-punk sounds of the Talking Heads, I’m sure you’ll dig this band. They are heading out on tour for the month of November, and I suggest you buy a ticket and check them out. Seriously. Buy a ticket. Check these guys out.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
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THE ACT: Holy Child | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: Holy Child is a lot of fun. If you’re looking for uptempo, energetic pop music with a beat, this is the band for you. They call their music “brat pop”, and I really couldn’t argue with the categorization. Their front woman, Liz, is a sprite full of energy, and I couldn’t help but be infused with the energy she gave out. They have a residency coming up at the Echoplex’s sister venue, The Echo, and I may have to make the trek out to Echo Park to catch them perform again.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Band We Caught At Culture Collide CLICK HERE
If you are music lover living in Los Angeles, and you failed to take advantage of the musical offerings from all around the world at Culture Collide for $30, shame on you.
Now in its fifth year, Culture Collide took over the Echo Park area of Sunset Boulevard with a diverse plethora of bands from around the globe. Bands traveled from Korea, Peru, Israel and other far reaches of the globe to bless us with their musical offerings.
Whether you are a fan of EDM or disco, hip hop or garage rock, folk or goth, Culture Collide had it all. Below are some of the bands that we were able to catch. If you were able to catch any of these bands at the festival, relive some of those moments by clicking on the links. If you decided to skip out on attending the festival, check out what you foolishly missed out on.
October 16th
October 17th
October 18th
#DKLPHOTOS 